"Firefly" (2002)TV series 2002-2004

Creator:

Joss Whedon

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

20 September 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Western

Plot:

Five hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small, mobile, spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them.

Plot Keywords:

Sexual Humor | Nose Bleed | Brother Sister Relationship | Wit | Old War Buddies

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. May 16	8:00 AM	SCIFI	Serenity	#1.11
Fri. May 16	9:00 AM	SCIFI	Serenity	#1.11

Cast

Nathan Fillion	...	Captain Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds / ... (14 episodes, 2002-2003)
Gina Torres	...	Zoë Washburne (14 episodes, 2002-2003)
Alan Tudyk	...	Hoban 'Wash' Washburne (14 episodes, 2002-2003)
Morena Baccarin	...	Inara Serra (14 episodes, 2002-2003)
Adam Baldwin	...	Jayne Cobb (14 episodes, 2002-2003)
Jewel Staite	...	Kaylee Frye (14 episodes, 2002-2003)
Sean Maher	...	Dr. Simon Tam (14 episodes, 2002-2003)
Summer Glau	...	River Tam (14 episodes, 2002-2003)
Ron Glass	...	Shepherd Book (14 episodes, 2002-2003)

Also Known As:

Firefly: The Series (USA) (long title)

Runtime:

42 min (15 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:PG (2 episodes) | UK:12 (12 episodes) | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Mutant Enemy

Trivia:

Every scene in space is shot without sound effects of the ship moving, precisely as it would in real vacuum. No air, no sound. (Note this does not cover dramatic music that plays during space scenes.)

Goofs:

Continuity: The Chinese characters for "Blue Sun" change from episode to episode. On Jayne's T-shirt, "Blue Sun" is "qing ri", but in logo signs, it's "lan ri". "Qing" and "lan" refer to different hues of blue (sky blue vs. indigo).

Quotes:

[opening narration for episodes: Out of Gas and Shindig]
Mal: Here's how it is: Earth got used up, so we terraformed a whole new galaxy of Earths, some rich and flush with the new technologies, some, not so much. Central Planets, them as formed The Alliance, waged war to bring everyone under their rule. A few idiots tried to fight it...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ultimate Sci-Fi Quiz (2006) (VG)

Soundtrack:

The Ballad of Serenity

Beautifully crafted and enjoyable series

This show blew me away. The beauty of the production, the detail in the sets, the well written characters, the intelligent stories and concepts, the fun, the drama, and the excitement all amazed me. I don't usually spend time watching TV, but I honestly hated having to wait until the next show! :)

The special effects are seamlessly integrated and beautifully detailed. The manner in which the show was presented - the hand-held cameras, the use of zooms, and the occasional off-focus effect - was very intriguing, giving it a look of a show that was real and gritty, something that really caught your attention but didn't distract you from what was being presented. It made you feel like you were really there, like it was believable.

While there was a Western attitude and flavor to some of the episodes, I always felt that it was more about the lack of authority, the fact that people were just dropped out on these planets without the kinds of support that you would expect. It's presented very well and makes sense to me, although I've heard others take a different approach to it.

If you have the opportunity to get the DVDs, I would highly suggest it. It is well worth the money!